The movie is directed by Betty Thomas, who won an Emmy for playing Lucy Bates on "Hill Street Blues" and Emmy and CableACE awards for directing the comedy, "Dream On."

Now in syndication, "The Brady Bunch" television series has been subject of several trivia books. It even inspired the hit stage production, "The Real Live Brady Bunch," which used scripts from the TV series. After opening in Chicago, productions have toured nationally and internationally.

Taylor took over the role of Marcia Brady in "The Real Live Brady Bunch" for several months toward the end of the show's run in 1992 at Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles.

"When I first saw the young people that were cast for the film, I was amazed," said Sherwood Schwartz, who produced "The Brady Bunch," an ABC hit from 1969-74, and produced the movie along with his son Lloyd and David Kirkpatrick. Alan Ladd Jr. is executive producer..

"I was especially taken aback by Christine Taylor, who plays Marcia," Schwartz continued. "Not only does she look like the original who was played by Maureen McCormick, she sounds just like her. It's uncanny."

Taylor's role in "The Brady Bunch Movie" is arguably the biggest motion picture role ever for a Lehigh Valley native, and certainly the biggest for her. Taylor readily agreed: "Absolutely. Since I've been in L.A., I've managed to work consistently. But this is the first part that's getting so much attention."

Entertainment Weekly ran a photo of the Brady movie family, awarding Taylor "The Dead Ringer" award as best look-alike to those in the original television series. Taylor has also been included in articles in Premiere and US magazines and was chatted up on "The Jon Stewart Show" Thursday night.

However, landing the part didn't come easy for Taylor, who starred in Nickelodeon's "Hey Dude" television series and began her acting career at Civic Little Theatre in Allentown.

To become Marcia Brady in the Paramount Pictures release, Taylor had to survive California calamities: earthquakes, floods, riots, fires, a carjacking -- not to mention -- callbacks.

IT ALL BEGAN AT CLT

Taylor, 23, is a daughter of Joan and Albert "Skip" Taylor III. Dad owns Protect Alarms, Allentown. Mom is a housewife. A brother, Brian, 21, attends the University of Virginia.

Taylor's interest in acting began at St. Thomas More Church, Salisbury Township. JoAnn Wilchek, a fifth-grade teacher at St. Thomas and vice president the Civic Little Theatre board, directed her in CLT shows, including "The Wizard of Oz" and "Fiddler on the Roof."

Lois Miller, owner of Star Talent Management of Allentown, launched Taylor on her professional career, acting as her personal manager.

"I was doing lots of community theater in high school," Taylor said. "Lois (Miller) was the one who, after a show, took me aside and asked me if I was interested in doing this professionally. At the time, she meant commercial (television ads) work."

Taylor demurred, citing her busy scholastic and extracurricular schedule, including her participation on the tennis team.

"That summer they were looking for the new Burger King girl. And I talked it over with my parents." Taylor's parents, not expecting her to land the commercial, nonetheless thought the audition would be a good experience for her, Taylor remembered.

"I hadn't even been into New York that much," Taylor said. "We went in and sort of made it a day, with shopping and lunch, and I ended up getting the part, and from then it just snowballed and I ended up getting more commercials."

Taylor did the "Milk -- it does a body good" ad for the National Dairy Board, a Kodak commercial with Bill Cosby, three more Burger King commercials and a McDonald's spot.

Soon, Taylor said, "a couple of the agents started submitting me for, 'quote, unquote,' more legitimate stuff. My first audition was for a soap opera. And my second audition was for 'Hey Dude' and I ended up getting it."

Taylor was cast for "Hey Dude" during her senior year. After doing the pilot in November, the show was picked up in March.

"We had to sit down with the guidance counselor because they ('Hey Dude' producers) wanted me to leave right away. And Central was so great with working everything out. I got to go home for my graduation."

Taylor was accepted at New York University and planned to attend, but "Hey Dude" was renewed. The show continued for two years. Taylor completed 65 episodes of "Hey Dude," which airs in syndication on Nickelodeon.

"It was Nickelodeon's first self-produced sitcom. And I think they sort of think of it as their baby so they don't want to take it off. It was good luck for them," Taylor recalled, not without a trace of fondness.

After finishing "Hey Dude," Taylor decided to stay in L.A., landing guest appearances on "Life Goes on," "Saved by the Bell," "Blossom" and the final episode of "Dallas."

A VERY BRADY STORY

"This (getting the Marcia Brady role) goes back all the way to doing 'The Real Live Brady Bunch.' The people who cast me -- Faith and Jill Soloway, who are sisters -- created 'The Real Live Brady Bunch.' In doing so they had to be in touch with Sherwood and Lloyd Schwartz, creators of the sitcom.

"By the time the show got to Los Angeles, Sherwood and his son Lloyd had written a script and were talking with Paramount. When they met me they said, 'Oh, my gosh! If you're playing the character true to age then this is perfect.' The Chicago people (in the live show) were older and just put on wigs. I was the youngest of the whole cast.

"I had been such a Brady fan, so that before I even auditioned I started watching tapes and studying Maureen McCormick's mannerisms, which are very specific."

Taylor, who has a copy of "The Brady Bunch" CD, Barry Williams' "Growing Up Brady" book and every book published about the Bradys, said, "I will admit that I was the person who read them before I got the part. It was fun to know what was going on in their minds and growing up as teen idols.

"One day, out of the blue, I got a call on my answering machine from Sherwood Schwartz, which was really overwhelming to me since I was such a Brady fan. I went to his house and met his son and they were really overwhelmed with how much I looked like Maureen, the original Marcia.

"This was over two years ago. But I never cut my hair and I never changed my look. I think it was subconscious. You'd read that it (the movie) was still in development. When I heard it was definitely going ahead with Paramount and Alan Ladd Jr. and his company, I got back in touch with Sherwood and dropped him a little note and sent him my picture. And he called me back right away.

"I thought I could bypass a lot of the audition phases -- which wasn't the case. I met with casting people, the director and producers, and was matched up with Jan and Cindy. I still had to go through an equal auditioning process."

LET'S DO THE BRADYS AGAIN

Taylor described "The Brady Bunch Movie" as "an affectionate satire" of the television show. "We, the people who play the Bradys, are the same family, but we're living in the '90s. But we dress the same way. We're sort of trapped in our early '70s time warp."

Following auditions last spring, filming began in July and concluded the first week in September.

It was a large lead cast -- nine principals every day -- and a huge supporting cast, with cameos by several stars from "The Brady Bunch" television show, including Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) and Barry Williams (Greg).

The first five weeks were spent on location around Los Angeles, mostly in the San Fernando Valley for exteriors. A facade was built around the home used for the original "Brady house" exterior, which had been altered.

Interiors were filmed at Paramount Studios on Soundstage 5 where the television show was made. "It was very, very exciting," Taylor recalled of her first day on the set. "We were all in costume for a photo shoot," she said, adding, "Because the '70s look is so in, the wardrobe designers made it more over the top.

"Of the kids, Jan and Marcia have sort of the meatiest stuff to do. I don't think it has anything to do with me, Christine Taylor. I think it's what people remember and I think the writers kept that in mind.

"It was just such an amazing group of people. To watch the veteran actors, like Shelley Long and Gary Cole -- this was an honor for me. And to work with Betty Thomas, the director. Being a female director in Hollywood is unusual, but she has a way of taking control of the male crew and actually having people like her."

The movie's soundtrack is a mix of pop songs, including the new Bradys doing a version of their cheese-melt hit "It's a Sunshine Day"; a guest appearance by Davy Jones of The Monkees singing, "Girl," and some punk rock such as Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized."

"When we're in the Brady house and having Brady moments, it's all the music that you remember from the TV show -- the sad Brady music and the upbeat Brady music," Taylor noted.

"I think people who were Brady fans will go into the movie maybe doubting what they're going to see, but they won't be disappointed. For real Brady trivia fans there's a lot of stuff that they will pick up on."

BACK TO REALITY

Taylor had just moved into a house in Laurel Canyon when the Northridge earthquake hit last January. "No pictures were hung. A lot of stuff was still in boxes. I was sleeping and was awakened by the jolt. I had never been in an earthquake," Taylor said.

"My dad was actually visiting. He was staying in a hotel. This was when you guys were having the really horrible weather back East. My dad said he would take that any day. After all the sirens, you start hearing car alarms and dogs. You just don't know. It's a very unnerving feeling."

Then there was the carjacking.

It happened at gunpoint in a residential West Hollywood area at 3 p.m.

"Thank God, they just took my car and my purse and not me," said Taylor. "I had read a lot of literature. Right before it happened my aunt had sent me an article about being a young woman in a big city. And it said, 'Do everything they tell you except getting into the car with them. Risk throwing your purse or running, because the statistics are (that) then you will be raped or killed.

"But at that point I really would have gotten into the car because I was completely numb with a gun pointed into my back."

Taylor was parking the BMW in front of an apartment building when two men drove up in another car. One had a gun. The other man drove off. The man with the gun commandeered Taylor's car. She was ordered to unlock The Club on the steering wheel.

"That was sort of the scariest moment," said Taylor. 'Oh, God, is he going to ask me to get in the car?' Everything is replaceable -- the purse, the credit cards -- just make a phone call. And I had insurance.

"Ever since then I feel like I live life differently. Not any drastic change other than being aware I know how easily something can change your life. Now there's never a time when I'm not looking over my shoulder," she said.

Taylor's car wasn't recovered. She looked at police mug shots but couldn't identify the carjacker. "The police got there 45 minutes after I called 911," she said. "The car was either stripped or halfway to Mexico already."

It happened on Nov. 15, 1993. "The irony of that is one year later, around the same time, my dad's car was stolen in Allentown, right out of our garage. So I guess crime is everywhere and you need to be always aware."

LIFE AFTER THE BRADYS

"It's just a nice feeling after being here for four years, that you're on the cover of the L.A. Times, or are in US or Premiere (magazines). It's just exciting," Taylor admitted.

Has her role as Marcia Brady in "The Brady Bunch Movie" put her in demand?

"Yes, I think so. If nothing else, the visibility will open a few doors. A lot of casting directors are huge Brady fans. They just want to meet me for general meetings." For her own celebrityhood? "In a way," she said.

"It's the first time in my career that I've ever been in this position because, who knows? This business is too unpredictable, so I just want to enjoy it and make the most of it."

Is she concerned that her role as the big screen Marcia Brady might stereotype her as happened with the actors who portrayed the Bradys on the television show?

"There's always something to be said for being pigeonholed, but I think because it's a movie and it's one movie -- although there is talk of doing a sequel (with the leads already signed for two more) if this one is successful -- it's just two hours.

"Kids are most interested in 'Hey Dude.' How's Melody? (they ask of the role Taylor played). I think it's very easy on a TV show because people tune in and they want to keep tuning."

Taylor doesn't know what her next project will be. "I'm doing the same thing that everyone else is, which is going out on auditions."

As for long-term plans, Taylor said, "Theater is my true love. That is my passion. If I was ever able to do something on Broadway, I would. That has always been my longtime dream."